RECongress 2017 is this
month!
The 2017 Religious
Education Congress
is only 22 days away!
You can still register
for Youth Day and
Congress. And if you are
considering staying in
Anaheim, be sure to make
your hotel reservations
now. Some of our
contracted hotel rates
are only good through
Feb. 2; Feb. 3 is
the last day to register
by mail; and
after Feb. 11 barcodes
start to be sent by
email. Haven't
received your tickets
yet? Find ticket
information and more
online on our
Updates page.

Watch
for coming news about
our Congress 2017 app.
It will appear in iOS
and Android formats and
features speaker
information, session
schedules, workshops,
maps and more!

Be sure to view our new video
here about
RECongress 2017 with
a welcome by Fr. Chris Bazyouros, Director of
the Office of Religious
Education, and Victoria
Radleigh, Coordinator of
Youth Day.

Pass along this emailing
or our link — www.RECongress.org — to share with friends and encourage them to sign up for the Emailings to receive the latest information about RECongress. If you do not care to receive future updates, you can find removal information at the bottom of this message.

Register for Congress
online by using a credit
card or check (ACH
processing). If you
register by mail, you
may do so ONLY until
February 3, 2017
enclosing check or money
order along with the
form found in the
Registration Guidebook.
(You may order the
Guidebook
here, or download
the form
here.) Be sure to
provide an email address
to receive your
registration
confirmation by email.

Deadline Reminders
Here is a reminder of some
important dates to remember
about the Religious Education
Congress:

Jan.
6
was the last day to
request refunds.Feb.
3is
the last day to register
by mail (register online/on
site
after this date) Feb.
10is
the last mailing of
Congress tickets
(barcodes via email only after
this date) Feb.
10is
the last day to register
online for Youth Day
(mail-in after this
date)

Special Hotels Rates Good
Through Feb. 22Consider
staying at Congress this year.
And if you have put off making
your hotel reservations, NOW is
the time. We have contracted
with a number of hotels
nearby
to the Anaheim Convention Center
for special rates for attendees.
To get the quoted rates, be sure
to inform them that you are
attending RECongress and ask for
the REC or Religious Education
Congress Block Group Rate. Note:
Many of the hotels guarantee
special rates only through
tomorrow, February 2.
See the listing of Hotels »

Last Weeks for Discounted Disney
TicketsDon't
forget to order your Disney
tickets early. RECongress attendees may
purchase specially priced
Disneyland resort eTickets prior
to their arrival. There is
special pricing for Twilight
Convention tickets (after 4 pm),
1-day 1-park, multi-day and park
hopper tickets. This eTicket
offer is only available online
at
mydisneygroup.com/recongress2017
and only through Wednesday,
February 22, 2017 at 9:00 PM
PST. Note: Tickets are valid
from Thursday, February 17,
2017, through Tuesday, February
26, 2017. Read about the Disney Ticket offer »

Youth Day:
New! Food Court in Hall CBet
you haven't been in Hall C! We
are excited to announce that
this year Hall C at the Anaheim
Convention Center will be
transformed into a Food Court!
All Hall C meal options are $10
– tax included! Options include
your entrée, side, and a
beverage. Choose from pizza,
tacos, hot dogs, grilled cheese,
hamburgers, cheeseburgers and
more! Additional seating and
concessions will be available
throughout the Convention Center
– such as by Eco Grounds, the
Arena Grill, and the Grand
Plaza. As you prepare for Youth
Day, we encourage you to take
advantage of this new option!
See the Youth Day Page »

Volunteers at RECongressThe Religious Education Congress
literally could not function
without the hundreds of
volunteers who give of their
time. We just held our Volunteer
Meeting on Tuesday, January 24.
(See photos from our January
24th meeting
here.) Check our Volunteer page for
ways you can participate in a
special way at RECongress:

• Youth Day Volunteers, including coordinators, crowd flow and other
designated duties.•
English & Spanish Volunteers
as Assistants (ticket
takers/greeters),
Chairperson (coordinator),
and Master of Ceremonies
"MC" (who introduces the
speaker and makes
announcements).•
Congress Choir at the 8:00
am and 3:30 pm Sunday
Closing Liturgies.•
Eucharistic Ministers as
Ministers of the Cup for any
or all liturgies in the
Arena.

If you have attended Congress in
the past and would like to find
out more about becoming a
volunteer, please consider this
your "personal invitation."See the Volunteers page »

Congress Speaker
Feature: Dr. Leonard DeLorenzo
Over the three days, Congress 2017 will offer 321 workshops presented by 194 speakers. Topics range from personal growth to music to spiritual topics — in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
In each Emailing we spotlight one of our speakers:

Dr.
Leonard DeLorenzo is
Director of Notre Dame Vision at
the Institute for Church Life at
the University of Notre Dame in
Indiana, where he also teaches
theology. He is author of
“Witness: Learning to Tell the
Stories of Grace That Illumine
Our Lives” and “Work of Love: A
Theological Reconstruction of
the Communion of Saints.” Dr.
DeLorenzo is author of many
articles and book chapters, and
is a frequent speaker at
national events, including the
Gulf Coast Faith Formation
Conference and at the National
Conference on Catholic Youth
Ministry.

Session 2-10 - Friday, February
24, 1:00-2:30 pm
WITNESS: LEARNING TO TELL THE
STORIES OF GRACE THAT ILLUMINE
OUR LIVES
Recent research shows that the
single greatest difference
between those who identify as
“Catholic” and those who
identify as “former Catholic” is
“the belief that God is a
personal being involved in the
lives of people today.” If we
are to shape our whole lives as
a Christian story, we must first
learn how to recognize, craft
and share stories of grace about
particular life experiences. We
will focus on seven principles
for crafting stories of grace
for teens, young adults and even
not-so-young-anymore adults that
allow us to speak of God’s
action in our lives persuasively
and in real terms.

Session 6-07 - Saturday,
February 25, 3:00-4:30 pm
ART, LITERATURE AND THE RENEWAL
OF THE CHRISTIAN IMAGINATION
Studying art and literature
assists in the formation of a
sacramental imagination while
also fostering the skills,
behaviors and dispositions of
mature discipleship. We will see
how those of us who live in a
consumer culture are slowly
formed to hold unstable desires,
fueled by a general inability to
pay attention. We will then
explore how the discipline of
“strategic patience” that art
and literature demand helps heal
us of this malady, schooling us
in the virtues of stability and
the generosity of attention.
See our other Congress Speakers »

Liturgy Spotlight:
Mass of Healing
Friday, February
24, 2017 • 5:15 PM
•
Hilton CaliforniaRev.
Chris Ponnet, presider
Music by Janèt Sullivan Whitaker
& Sarah Hart
Los Angeles-native Fr. Chris
Ponnet was ordained for the Los
Angeles Archdiocese in 1983.
Since then, he has served as
Director for the Archdiocesan
Office of Catholic HIV/AIDS
Ministry. He also serves as
Pastor at St. Camillus Center
for Spiritual Care in Los
Angeles. Fr. Ponnet has spoken
at the RECongress and at the
archdiocesan regional congresses
for many years and has made
presentations at Pax Christi
Peace and Justice conferences
and at local congregations and
meetings around the county.
See the Listing of Scheduled Liturgies »

Congress
Entertainment: Friday Evening
ConcertFriday,
February 24, 8:00 pm
– Convention Arena“With
Gratitude: An Evening
Celebrating the Liturgical Music
of David Haas, Marty Haugen &
Michael Joncas”
Come together to conclude the
first full day of Congress 2017
with an evening of sung prayer –
featuring both classic favorites
like “Shepherd Me, O God,” “You
Are Mine” and “On Eagle’s
Wings,” and newly composed
pieces for the singing Church.
This event will mark the very
last time Michael, David and Marty will appear and sing
together as a trio. A time to
sing, pray and celebrate a
collaborative and ministerial
friendship of over 30 years,
that has gifted praying
assemblies around the world with
songs that have enriched the
faith of believers throughout
the world.
See other Congress Entertainment
»

Visit the Technology Center in
Hall A ...Friday
through Sunday – Tech Center
in Hall A
Don't forget to check the online
Tech Center schedule or at the
Tech Center for computer
demonstrations by Archdiocesan
Fingerprinting, Catholic Relief
Services, Friendship Ministries,
Gradelink, JS Paluch / OneParish,
Online Learning (OLALA), St.
Camillus Center, and
more. Los Angeles Archbishop
José Gomez starts off events at
the Tech Center on Friday with
an online video chat with
students from St. Francis of
Assisi School in the Silver Lake
neighborhood.See
the Tech Center page »

... and Don't Forget Your Free
ePostcardIn addition to the
Congress-logoed items, including souvenir
shirts, pens,
pins and magnets, you can also
claim a free souvenir ePostcard.
The electronic postcard is only
available on Sunday and only at
the Technology Center, located
in the center of Hall A
under the "Computer
Demonstration" banner. Take
a souvenir
picture at Congress 2017 to
email home and to your friends!
See Last Year's ePostcards »

Sign up for the Archdiocesan
NewsWant
to know what's happening in the
Archdiocese? Subscribe free to
their weekly e-newsletter. The ACC Newsbriefs is a
free, weekly newsletter sent to
your email address each Friday
with information on
upcoming workshops and events
sponsored by departments of the
Archdiocesan Catholic Center,
and links to archdiocesan web
pages for more information and
registration. It also includes
information on other events
throughout the Archdiocese.
Over 1,300 people currently
receive the ACC Newsbriefs each
week. Please note that we only
use your email address to send
you the ACC Newsbriefs. We do
not share your information with
anyone else, not even other ACC
departments. Anyone with an
e-mail address is welcome to
subscribe. To subscribe, click
the link
http://lists.la-archdiocese.org/mailman/listinfo/newsbriefs_lists.la-archdiocese.org
and provide your name, your
phone number (in case they have
any questions), and your email
address.Read about the Disney Ticket offer »

Some Congress Reminders

Convention Center Parking
With the expansion of the Anaheim Convention
Center, Car Park 1 is gone. You may
park in Car Park 4 or Car Park 6
(both accessed from West
Street), or the Toy Story Lot
(off of Harbor Blvd), or the
parking structure at the Anaheim GardenWalk (off of Katella
Ave.). You can download a
parking map
here.

Parking Shuttle
The Convention Center is
providing shuttle service to and
from both the Disney Toy Story
Lot and the Anaheim GardenWalk
parking structure. For your
convenience, the shuttle runs
from 7 am to 10 pm. Parking is
$15 -- the same rate as at the
Convention Center.

Audio Recording at Congress -
click
here
Most of the Congress workshop
sessions are audio recorded with
speaker permission. A good
strategy is to attend workshop
that are not recorded and then
order the Audio CDs
and
Downloadable MP3s of the ones
you missed after Congress. You
can order at Congress or after
off their website.

Live Streaming in Hall BWatch Friday’s Opening Event
(8:30-9:30 am) in Hall B with
the broadcast from the Arena --
the same streaming you can find
online at
www.RECongress.org/live

Show Your Badge & Save Program -
click
here
Congress attendees can receive
promotional offers and discounts
during Congress with the "Show
Your Badge & Save" program.
Discounts are available at
participating attractions and restaurants,
including Baskin Robbins, House
of Blues Anaheim, Joe's Crab
Shack, McDonald’s and Togo's.

Airport Shuttle - click
here
Karmel Shuttle is offering
direct service between Los
Angeles International (LAX),
John Wayne (SNA), and Long Beach
(LGB) airports to and from the
Anaheim Resort area. Register
online by visiting
www.karmel.comm and enter Promo
Code: REC17, or call toll free
1-888-995-RIDE (888-995-7433).
Mention Promo Code “REC17” at
the time of reservation.

A.A. MeetingsJoin a lunchtime meeting with
other Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)
men and women. This is an open
meeting for anyone working a
12-Step program, or anyone
interested in 12-Step recovery.
The meeting room is location on
the Marriott’s lower level, in
the San Diego room.

Our Web Site – RECongress.orgYou can find all Congress information and updates online. Our RECongress Emailings feature some Congress Spotlights and we will be adding speaker and hotel information. Check our site for the latest updates and announcements.

RECongress EmailingBe sure to sign-up for our twice-a-month Emailing about Congress updates and events. You may opt out from our Congress Emailing at any time from the "Manage Your Subscription" link below. Our Emailings for Congress 2017 are scheduled through
April 2017.